First Frosts...
Greetings everyone! The rumblings of autumn are becoming louder and clearer by the day, and we are nearing closer and closer to the end of our Summer CSA. Only two weeks of summer veggies left, and perhaps even less: the first frost warning is already here! What a dramatic flip, a complete 180 from brutal summer heat to potentially freezing nights! It was only a week or so ago that it was 90 degrees with a heat index in the 100's. Today we rushed out to cut down a big chunk of our basil plants for storing, since they will be the first of our summer veggies to go when they face the frost. We'll still have some basil for y'all yet! Tomatoes are expected to wither next, then slowly eggplants and peppers will follow.It has been a fun, busy, and productive year being able to grow for all you CSA members, and we'd like to give you a big "THANK YOU" for participating in Summer CSA! The purpose of CSA's is very clear when we think of how grateful we are of your contributions. Your member share cost is not just a payment in exchange for veggies. It is the best and most direct source of support to the Echollective imaginable. So we thank you all!
A reminder, that CSA doesn't have to be over if you don't want it to. Fall CSA shares are available! We are happy to see some Summer folks have decided to hop on board. We certainly have room for more! Sign-up with us right here on our website by clicking the "CSA Sign-up" tab above.
We also have more information regarding Fall CSA to share with everyone! Fall CSA begins the first of October, and will run through December. For Iowa City "picker-uppers" this is specifically Oct. 3 and 6, the first Sat. and Wed. of October. The first four Fall CSA pickups will continue to be on Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Iowa City Farmer's Market downtown, and the Cedar Rapids Saturday pickup will also continue to run on Saturdays at the 8th Ave Farmer's Market through 'til October 20, the market's last day. Once Iowa City Farmer's Market is over, Iowa City pickups switch to the Grant Wood Farmer's Market on Saturdays in November and all the way through December! We have yet to set a place and time for Cedar Rapids pickup after the 8th Ave. Market is over. If you are interested in Fall CSA a Cedar Rapids pickup would be most convenient, please still sign-up! We will find a way to get your veggies to you!
This past week has exhibited some of the most beautiful times at the farm. Fall is personally my favorite time of year as it really shows off the land's most gorgeous facets, in my opinion. Coolness is a big relief after the summer, both for farmers and plants. The mind-blowing sunsets are a surefire sign of the changing seasons! One evening paraded a spectacular array of golds, oranges, blush pinks, and rosy reds right on down to deep purple and ultramarine right down at the horizon. Dense mists emerged after the recent rains and covered the entire property, but you could just make out the fields of bright colored vegetables: vivid orange squash blossoms, deep blue and purple Redbor and Lacinato kales, bright green daikon radish leaves. Many a morning the land lays covered in wraiths of pretty fog!
In spite of the possible impending frosts, we'll still be pullin' all the stops at the CSA table! A good selection this week. See you at market!
CSA this week:
- Kale bunch
- Yellow Zephyr Squash
- Zucchini
- Garlic
- Cucumbers
- Salad Mix
- French Breakfast Radishes
- Potatoes
- Bok Choi
- Daikon Radishes
Recipes
Cucumber Margaritas (www.foodnetwork.com)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cucumber, peeled, sliced, seeded, and diced
- 1 lime, juiced, plus a wedge or slice, for garnish
- 2 ounces tequila reposado
- 1-ounce simple syrup or agave nectar
- 1-ounce sweet and sour mix
- Pinch cayenne pepper powder
Directions
In a cocktail
shaker muddle cucumber, add ice, lime juice, tequila, simple syrup,
sweet and sour mix and pepper powder. Shake and serve in a rocks glass
with salted rim.
Garnish with a wedge or slice of lime.***
Tzatziki Sauce (www.seriouseats.com)
Ingredients
- 1 pound of cucumbers, ends removed and sliced lengthwise (6 "baby" cucumbers)
- 2 cups of strained yogurt (Greek or otherwise)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced fine
- 1 large handful of dill, minced
- Juice of one lemon
Procedures
1
With a teaspoon, scoop out the
seeds of the cucumbers. You should be left with a neat half-moon shape.
Slice them thin, but not paper-thin—they should still have some crunch.
2 Add the cucumbers to a mixing bowl
along with the rest of the ingredients. Taste for acid and seasoning,
then either serve, or (preferably) cover and let it sit in the
refrigerator for a few hours.
***
Furofuki Daikon (Daikon Radish with White Miso Sauce) (saveur.com)
SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 2" square piece konbu (dried sea kelp)
- Pinch salt
- 9" piece daikon, peeled, trimmed, and cut crosswise into eight 1"-thick rounds
- 2/3 cup white miso
- 3 tbsp. sake
- 2 tbsp. mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp. dashi
- 1" piece ginger, peeled and grated
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut out a circle of parchment paper just large enough to fit inside a wide medium pot, then cut a ½" vent hole in center and set paper aside. Put sea kelp, 8 cups water, and salt into the wide medium pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add daikon and return to a simmer. Lay parchment paper circle on surface of liquid in pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer until daikon is soft when pierced with the tip of a small sharp knife, 50–60 minutes.2. Put miso into a medium pan set over another medium pan of simmering water over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until paste loosens, about 1 minute. Gradually add sake, then rice wine, stirring until smooth. Add sugar and egg yolk and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and creamy, 1–2 minutes. Stir in dashi and ginger.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer daikon, one of the cut sides up, to 8 small bowls and discard cooking liquid. Spoon some of the miso sauce on top of each piece of daikon, spreading it out with the back of the spoon to cover top of daikon completely
*********************
Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table,
don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we
should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love
to hear from you!
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